JoelMyersScrotalSack wrote:Kobe is now #2 in usage behind Carmelo...not good at all. He's starting to revert back to last years Kobe

Another arbitrary stat showing only a small, slight sliver of the whole story.

It is possible a single guy can lose the game for your team. I mean, he does handle the ball and make the on-court decisions 80-90% of the time, no? Shooting your team out of the game can hurt everybody. Hardly a "small sliver."

And yes, I saw the defensive collapse in the 4th quarter (I mean, who didn't??), and that was part of the issue. But ask yourself why. Why? Why was there a collapse?? How they played Kobe made him tired and got our other players out of sync. So the Magic were able to put pedal to the metal in the 4th.

"Why are they blocking out all the good stuff? They let Sarah Jessica Parker's face on TV and she looks like a foot!!"

khmrP wrote:people say Kobe has to conserve his energy on D for O, I bet we'll still see the same garbage D out of him when Nash comes back. Its fine to say he's old and can't play D at a high lvl anymore but I have a hard time believing that D for O scenario because Kobe D has been lacking for the last several years now, even during Phil days he went to that roaming D stuff and still did't play solid D most of the time.

Maybe but it goes back to the whole facilitator role he's had to play. Just tell me has Kobe ever played with a PG the caliber of Nash? No. Kobe has played with the pupu platter of the season and has been the facilitator for so long it will be interesting to see how Nash makes Kobe's life easier.

Nash will make Kobe's life so much easier because Nash will get Kobe the ball in his sweet spots. Kobe will not have to work as hard and should have more energy on the other end. Moreover, once MDA relies more on the reserves to get Kobe's minutes down, we should see more energy from him on D. I'm also realistic and understand that Kobe is not the same defender he was even 2 years ago. However, he can still be effective because he is smart guy and and a crafty veteran.

"Better learn not to talk to me. You shake the tree, a leopard's gonna fall out." - Kobe Bryant

One of the funniest posts I've read in a sports forum:

"Lebron's talents went South, his hair went North, and his mom went West."

khmrP wrote:people say Kobe has to conserve his energy on D for O, I bet we'll still see the same garbage D out of him when Nash comes back. Its fine to say he's old and can't play D at a high lvl anymore but I have a hard time believing that D for O scenario because Kobe D has been lacking for the last several years now, even during Phil days he went to that roaming D stuff and still did't play solid D most of the time.

Maybe but it goes back to the whole facilitator role he's had to play. Just tell me has Kobe ever played with a PG the caliber of Nash? No. Kobe has played with the pupu platter of the season and has been the facilitator for so long it will be interesting to see how Nash makes Kobe's life easier.

Nash will make Kobe's life so much easier because Nash will get Kobe the ball in his sweet spots. Kobe will not have to work as hard and should have more energy on the other end. Moreover, once MDA relies more on the reserves to get Kobe's minutes down, we should see more energy from him on D. I'm also realistic and understand that Kobe is not the same defender he was even 2 years ago. However, he can still be effective because he is smart guy and and a crafty veteran.

his D consist of allowing his man to shoot wide open shots until they can prove to him that they can hit consistently 1st before he defends....now I'm no bball expert but you would think it would work the other way around where you try to defend 1st and take your guy out of rythm 1st.

JoelMyersScrotalSack wrote:Kobe is now #2 in usage behind Carmelo...not good at all. He's starting to revert back to last years Kobe

Another arbitrary stat showing only a small, slight sliver of the whole story.

It is possible a single guy can lose the game for your team. I mean, he does handle the ball and make the on-court decisions 80-90% of the time, no? Shooting your team out of the game can hurt everybody. Hardly a "small sliver."

And yes, I saw the defensive collapse in the 4th quarter (I mean, who didn't??), and that was part of the issue. But ask yourself why. Why? Why was there a collapse?? How they played Kobe made him tired and got our other players out of sync. So the Magic were able to put pedal to the metal in the 4th.

It is not possible for a single guy to lose the game for your team.

If we can't agree on that basic principle, I'm not going to go any further.

Of course basketball is a team game, so a lot of factors can cause a team to lose. It's not just black and white.

What I'm saying is a single guy can ball hog and miss a ton of shots and end up costing you the game, whereas if he didn't ball hog or miss a ton of shots, you could have won. It's like missing all your FTs can cost you the game, or committing a bunch of TOs can cost you the game.

Any one of those factors swinging our way could have won us a few games this year.

And now if you wish to continue, please try to explain why I'm wrong or why you're right, instead of making just a blanket statement. Oh, and relax, man.

"Why are they blocking out all the good stuff? They let Sarah Jessica Parker's face on TV and she looks like a foot!!"

khmrP wrote:people say Kobe has to conserve his energy on D for O, I bet we'll still see the same garbage D out of him when Nash comes back. Its fine to say he's old and can't play D at a high lvl anymore but I have a hard time believing that D for O scenario because Kobe D has been lacking for the last several years now, even during Phil days he went to that roaming D stuff and still did't play solid D most of the time.

Maybe but it goes back to the whole facilitator role he's had to play. Just tell me has Kobe ever played with a PG the caliber of Nash? No. Kobe has played with the pupu platter of the season and has been the facilitator for so long it will be interesting to see how Nash makes Kobe's life easier.

Nash will make Kobe's life so much easier because Nash will get Kobe the ball in his sweet spots. Kobe will not have to work as hard and should have more energy on the other end. Moreover, once MDA relies more on the reserves to get Kobe's minutes down, we should see more energy from him on D. I'm also realistic and understand that Kobe is not the same defender he was even 2 years ago. However, he can still be effective because he is smart guy and and a crafty veteran.

his D consist of allowing his man to shoot wide open shots until they can prove to him that they can hit consistently 1st before he defends....now I'm no bball expert but you would think it would work the other way around where you try to defend 1st and take your guy out of rythm 1st.

I hear ya but I really believe we will see an uptick in defensive energy from Kobe IF (1) Nash is back and handles the facilitating duties AND (2) MDA monitors Kobe's minutes.

"Better learn not to talk to me. You shake the tree, a leopard's gonna fall out." - Kobe Bryant

One of the funniest posts I've read in a sports forum:

"Lebron's talents went South, his hair went North, and his mom went West."

Q: On if he feels for Dwight Howard’s free-throw struggles:Kobe: He should look at it as an opportunity because once he conquers the ability to make free throws, the sky is the absolute limit for him. So he should really approach it as an opportunity.

Q: On pushing Howard for more:Kobe: Honestly, there’s really not much for him to do. The thing about his intensity is, if he’s upset, it affects the team. So everybody’s mood changes and everybody becomes a little bit more serious. Truthfully, his biggest thing is conquering the free throws a little bit. If he makes those free throws, the guy would be averaging 30 points a night. That’s the thing people try to attack with him, and once he gets that down, there’s going to be no stopping him.

Q: On if it’s better for Dwight to be angry during games:Kobe: It’s really not for him. He can play loose and do the things that he does. It’s just at certain times, it impacts some of the other guys. When you see him a little feisty and a little chippy, all the guys kind of get a little feisty. His biggest thing is mastering the free-throw line. He does that, there’s no stopping him.

Q: On the level of concern regarding the team’s lack of consistent play:Kobe: The pressure is on me and Dwight (Howard) to really perform well. We’ll pick up for everybody’s else’s mistakes – whatever that may be – and he and I have to perform at a really, really high level night in and night out.

Q: On where he feels the team is at right now:Kobe: We’re up and down. Some games we come out and we shoot the ball extremely, extremely well. On those nights, obviously the game is a lot easier for myself, it’s easier for Dwight (Howard), it’s easier for everybody because the floor can stay spaced because everybody is knocking down shots. Then there are nights where we don’t hit and it becomes a little harder, but like I said, we just have to make the easy ones.

Q: On how he feels emotionally:Kobe: It’s frustrating, but at the same time, it’s an opportunity. Pau (Gasol) has to make some adjustments, obviously, to his game. He might not be posting up as much as he’d like. But he just has to adjust. The reality is I’ve adjusted. I’ve never run this many screen and rolls in my entire life, but I’ve worked on it. I’ve worked on handling the ball, worked on coming off the screens and making plays. I’m used to being in the post much, much more, but you have to adjust. You have to master what it is that we’re trying to do here. Pau is talented enough and good enough to be able to do that.

Q: On keeping players connected when playing time is limited:Kobe: Put your big boy pants on*. Come on, just adjust, just adjust. You can’t whine about it, you can’t complain about it. Like I said, I’m 34 years old and I’m running screen and rolls out there because Steve (Nash) is out my [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.] is running up and down the court more than I ever have my entire career. But you have to adjust to it. I stay after practice, I work on my ball handling, work on my screen and rolls and stuff like that. When you have the talent to adjust to it, you have to adjust to it.

Q: On Mike D’Antoni saying he doesn’t want to “lose” players like Jordan Hill who aren’t getting minutes, or Gasol who’s minutes were cut in the fourth quarter in part because of his lack of athletic movement on the court (i.e. tendinitis):Kobe: We’re not going to lose (Gasol). That’s just not going to happen. I’ve been around him long enough. I know how to deal with him.

Q: On evaluating his patience level when the offense isn’t running well:Kobe: To me, it’s night to night. I really just read the defense in front of me and take the shots that are available. I really don’t have to force anything. If I have mid-range jump shots, I take them. If they come off me, I make the pass. It’s pretty simple for me.

Q: On the level of concern about adjustments not occurring quickly as he’d like:Kobe: They’re not happening fast, but they have to happen. Come hell or high water, it has to happen. There’s always a level of concern, but it has to happen. There are no excuses to be mad, there’s no whining or putting your head down. We persevere, we have the talent to make the adjustments and we have to make them.

Q: On if he’s taking it upon himself to get that message across to everybody:Kobe: Yeah, I’ll kick everybody’s [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.] in this locker room if that doesn’t happen*. That’s just the attitude you have to have. Metta (World Peace) is the same way. Dwight (Howard) has that in him as well. He smiles a lot, but he still cares a lot about this thing. Like I said, come hell or high water, this has to get done.

Q: On nearing 30,000 points:Kobe: That’s a lot of points, that’s a lot of points. I’ve just been very fortunate to play for a very long time and be relatively healthy for the majority of my career. I’m proud of being able to play 17 years and still be able to perform. Just been very fortunate.

Monday's Practice presser

Q: On if he thinks the team is overcomplicating things at times:Kobe: You just got to show up and do your job. It’s not rocket science. We’re not solving world hunger. Just got to go out there and do your job. It’s as simple as that.

Q: On the team being without Steve Blake:Kobe: It’s a big concern for me. Steve and I always played extremely well together. He’s a clutch shooter and he’s a tough competitor. That’s one of the things I like about him. He’s going to be missed a lot. I’m not sure how long he’s going to be out, but I’m assuming it’s going to be awhile. Hopefully he’ll keep his head in it and be ready to go.

Q: On reaching 30,000 points and being in that type of company:Kobe: It’s a huge honor, to say the least. Whenever you hear those kinds of names, you think about the players that have played this game, and then you think to be in that kind of company, it’s always extremely…

Q: On if he ever thought about reaching 30,000 points when he was younger:Kobe: When I was a kid, the only thing I looked at was the ring count because that was the thing that was most important. I knew how many Magic (Johnson) had, I knew how many Larry (Bird) had, I knew how many Doc (Rivers) had. Those are the things I looked at the most – teams that won, teams were successful. I never really knew this person had this many thousand points, this person had this many thousand points. To be honest with you, I was always pretty bad at math and something I wasn’t excited to look at.

Q: On four of the five top scorers in the NBA playing for the Lakers:Kobe: How unbelievable is that. That’s incredible.

Q: On how proud he is of knowing that:Kobe: Beyond. This is franchise that, like I said in the past, guys whose jerseys hang in the rafters are some of the all time greats, not just greats for the franchise. I don’t know if there’s any organization that can say that.

Q: On keeping his composure during this time as a leader of the team:Kobe: Yeah, it’s a balance, it’s a balance. You have to be able to find that and understand the personality of this team. It’s a figuring out process. Obviously everybody here is brand new. They’re brand new to playing with me. I’m brand new to playing with them. You just kind of have to figure out that balance.

Q: On if he thinks everything will be fine when Steve Nash returns:Kobe: I think the flow will open up a little bit more. He’ll be able to direct guys and keep us spaced. That’s really the big thing. Steve (Nash) has been conducting this offense for awhile and when he gets out on the floor, he’ll be able to make sure guys are in the right places.

Q: On if it’s good for the team to go on the road and figure themselves out:Kobe: It can be. Turnovers have killed us and free throws have killed us. You just got to cut that stuff out.

Q: On free-throw shooting advice:Kobe: It’s just repetition, it’s just repetition. It’s muscle memory. That’s how you get to the point where you don’t think about things. You just overload your system. We come out here at practice, shoot a ton of them and then in he game, you don’t think about it because it’s muscle memory at that point.

Q: On free-throw shooting advice:Kobe: It’s just repetition, it’s just repetition. It’s muscle memory. That’s how you get to the point where you don’t think about things. You just overload your system. We come out here at practice, shoot a ton of them and then in he game, you don’t think about it because it’s muscle memory at that point.

Dwight has the same mentality as Shaq I think. There's a reason almost all of his misses are long, he tries too hard to just make it look like a decent attempt instead of focusing on making the shot. His mentality is holding him back right now because we all saw the 14/19 night in Portland. If he gets into a rhythm his confidence shoots up and he knocks them down.

I understand Kobe often times doesn't get calls that he probably should, but arguing with the ref won't change the outcome for that play. There have been multiple times this season alone where he could have helped prevented a fast break just by getting back on D, but instead the opposing team gets an easy 2. Defense is the biggest issue for this team, we're scoring far enough points we just need to hold the opposing team to less than 100.

doesn't even get to guard Harden and STILL plays crappy D, his stupid lazy attempt at guarding Delfino lead to Douglas wide open 3 and he has the gul to look at his teammates as if it was their fault! Artest having to guard Harden is an epic fail followed by even worse failure with Kobe not defending [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.]

I love the guy, but play some defense, and look for your open teammates.

Every time I begin to ask, "Is he really as great as I think he is?" ...He proves that he is.Every time I begin to wonder...He proves it...That is why I won't lose hope in him.You know who I am talking about.

What was Kobe tonight, 14-40? Oh, 14-31? Guess it just felt like 40 shots. I love Kobe, and he hit some big shots, but come the eff on, that's ridiculous. You've got Howard, Jamison, MWP, Meeks, you've got guys that can score and shoot, you don't need to play iso ball and take 31 shots. I put a lot of blame on 'Antoni too, clearly given Kobe the extreme green light, running little to no plays in the post for Dwight because it's "not efficient". Nash can't come back to run this offense soon enough.